The most visible surface of a natural or artificial fingernail or toenail is its top surface. Many people enjoy accentuating their fingernails and toenails by filing and buffing these surfaces to shine them or to prepare them for decorating with colors, designs, or jewelry. Manicurists and others encounter many difficulties and inconveniences when attempting to evenly file or buff natural or artificial fingernails or toenails. These difficulties cannot be easily overcome by the current technology.
Difficulties arise due to the fact that natural or artificial fingernails and toenails are, in general, curved and diversely shaped. Different people have differently shaped fingernails, toenails, and fingernail and toenail surfaces. The nail surfaces can be large or small, long or short, flat or rounded. Difficulties arise when people attempt to evenly and efficiently file and/or buff these differently shaped nail surfaces.
Generally, the surface of a natural or artificial fingernail or toenail is filed or buffed by forcing an abrasive surface of a tool back and forth across the surface of the nail (each back and forth motion comprising a stroke). A certain amount of pressure must be applied to allow the abrasive surface of the tool to abrade the nail surface being filed or buffed. The area of the nail surface that the abrasive surface of the tool contacts depends upon the curvature of the nail surface, the amount of pressure applied in using the tool, and the physical features of the tool itself.
Rigid nail tools, such as emery boards, are disclosed in the prior art. Abrasive surfaces of such tools contact only a small portion of a curved nail surface in any one stroke. These rigid tools work tangent to the curved nail surface and, therefore, the tool (or the nail being worked upon) must be manipulated further for the abrasive surface to contact the entire nail surface. Furthermore, these tools may not abrade the nail surface evenly and efficiently because only portions of the surface are worked on in any one stroke.
Flexible nail tools, such as emery sheets, are disclosed in the prior art. Abrasive surfaces of such tools may be capable of contacting the entire surface of a nail in any one stroke. However, these tools are difficult to manipulate because they require excess pressure to force the abrasive surface to abrade the nail surface. In addition, depending on whether the pressure applied is balanced these tools may not abrade the nail surface evenly and efficiently.
Therefore, a more even and efficient filing or buffing will occur if a nail tool is sufficiently flexible such that it encounters a greater area of the nail surface in any one stroke and the nail tool structure is sufficiently rigid such that it provides for balancing the pressure applied.
Various rigid and flexible fingernail and toenail tools (files and buffers) are disclosed in the prior art. However, none of these prior art tools comprise a file or buffer which maximizes a combination of the benefits of both rigidity and flexibility.